A Mate for Lazarus (The Program Book 3) (19 page)

The vampire woman raised her brows, looking at him
in a way that told them that she thought that he was full of shit. “If you say
so. I can scent that you have rutted.” She sniffed again.
How rude
. “You’ve
rutted often and as recently as a few hours ago.”

Lazarus nodded. “I would like my female to be
examined. Is she pregnant? This was an accident. We need as much information as
possible.” He grabbed her hand.

Alex had to fight not to pull away. Her heart sank
at his words. He was talking like he didn’t want this child. If she was even
pregnant. Was she ready for kids? No! Things changed though. They had damn well
changed now and if any of them expected her to abort they would be mistaken.

“Do you want me to lie down?” Alex asked while pointing
at a bed in the far corner. “Do you need to examine me?”

The woman, Eleanor, smiled. “No, there would be nothing
to see.”

“There must be some sort of test or something.” How
the hell was she supposed to wait?

Eleanor shook her head. “You are definitely in heat,
of that there is no doubt. There is a very good chance that you will become
pregnant. Most females conceive if rutted by a vampire so close to their heat.
Our males have potent seed.”

“Oh.”
Breathe, Alex. Breathe
.

“It is why we sterilize females that are unable to
birth young. The incidences of accidental pregnancies are high otherwise.” The
woman looked pointedly at Alex.

“I thought that vampires could smell really well,
that they know when a woman is…in heat.” She could feel the panic rise up in
her.

“It’s not fool proof…obviously not. That is why we
prefer for such females to be sterilized. There are accidents though and
therefore from time to time, abortions have to be performed.” Eleanor remained
perfectly professional.

“Wait a minute. You had better not be saying what I
think you are.” Alex couldn’t help it, she clutched her hand to her stomach.
“There is no way in hell that I’m aborting this child. You can forget it right
now.” She turned her gaze to Lazarus. “I know you are the father and that you
have a say but it’s not going to happen. Get that thought out of your head
right now.” She pointed a finger at him. Then she turned back to Eleanor. “I
know that you can get pills to take the morning after and all that. Yeah
well…not going to happen. This wasn’t planned. I’m not exactly ready to be a
mother but I’m not murdering my child. Forget it!” She growled the last.

“Thank fuck!” Lazarus picked her up. As in,
completely off the floor and wrapped her in his arms. “I was so worried that you
didn’t want this child. I’m so glad that you just said all of that. I feel the
same way. No one will try and murder this child. I will not allow it.” His
voice was deep and gravelly.

She hugged him back, feeling enormous relief.
“Okay…good to know. We’re on the same page then.”

“Yes we are.” He looked deep into her eyes. Shit,
she could almost see the love reflected in their depths. Love…no way. It was
too soon for that. “We are experiencing a moment, Alexandra. We are sharing one
right fucking now.”

She nodded. “Yes we are.”

They both met in the middle. A tender kiss that took
her breath away.

The vampire woman, Eleanor, cleared her throat. “Do
you by any chance have any questions? Anything you would like to know?”

“Yes.” They both replied in unison as soon as they
parted. Lazarus put her back down and she turned to face the woman.

“Urm…how long before we find out whether or not I
really am pregnant? Are we talking days…weeks?” She asked.

Eleanor smiled. “A couple of days. Normally around
four or five…sometimes even six.” Her smile widened. “I doubt it would be much
sooner.”

“Okay…well that’s good. Is there a test I can take?
I know I’ll get nauseas or something…tender boobs.” She grabbed the twins and
Lazarus growled.

“Don’t do that.” His voice was really low. “Your
scent is killing me. I have base instincts that are riding me hard.”

“About that…I know that you will still want to rut
with your female.” Eleanor turned her gaze on Lazarus.

Lazarus made a grunting sound of confirmation.

“Use human covers for the next few days, for just in
case you’re not pregnant. Unless of course you want to become pregnant, then I
would recommend lots of unprotected sex.”

Her eyes locked with Lazarus’. “I have made peace
with the fact that I may be pregnant but if I’m not then I think we should wait
so”—she inhaled deeply—“we’ll use condoms until we know for sure.”

Lazarus nodded, his jaw tensed. He didn’t look happy
with the idea but if he was against it, he didn’t say. There was a small part
of her that wanted to say…to hell with it…and dive in with both arms stretched,
but that was foolishness.

“About the pregnancy symptoms…the test?” Alex asked while
looking from Eleanor to Lazarus and back again. She noticed that they exchanged
a look. What? The?

Eleanor nodded. “You will start to crave blood.
You’ll also—”

“Say what?” Alex blurted.

Eleanor put her hand up. “You will also grow tiny
fangs…much smaller than actual vampire fangs but they will be there.”

Alex felt her mouth fall open in an all-out gape.
“No way.”

Eleanor nodded again. “You will crave blood…your
body will need it. You’ll take on some of the vampire traits and will become
stronger. Your senses will improve…at least we think so.”

“What do you mean, you think so?” Alex could hear
the panic in her voice.

“To date, only our queens have carried vampire
young. We are not one hundred percent certain that the same will apply for
general human females that are not mated to royalty.”

“It will be fine. The shifters have had no problem
with their cross-matings.” Lazarus sounded pissed. “Do not scare my female.”

Eleanor looked from Lazarus to Alex. She smiled
reassuringly. “I am sure that you will be fine. The pregnancy will last ten
months. You are small to carry a vampire child, especially one from a male like
Lazarus.”

“Stop,” Lazarus snarled. “My female is strong. She
will be fine.”

“Let’s first wait and see. I might not even be
pregnant.” Alex’s voice hitched.

“That is a good idea.” Lazarus put his arm around
her. “Our queen is also very small yet she was highly successful at carrying
and birthing the royal heir.”

“Oh my word.” Alex gushed. “We have to include the
royal heir in my story. Everybody loves babies.”

Lazarus shook his head. “Let’s think of one thing at
a time. Do not bombard the kings. They are highly protective of their queen and
heir. It is doubtful that they would allow such a thing.” Lazarus took in a
deep breath. He chuckled. “Who would have thought? Me. Of all the males. I
might be a father.” He shook his head and grinned. “Come. We have a ton to
discuss.”

“Yeah we do.” She smiled up at him. Alex had never
been more afraid in her whole life yet somehow she knew that as long as Lazarus
was at her side, that she would be okay.

“Please come and see me if you are concerned about
anything or if you have any questions. My door is open.” Eleanor was smiling.
“I am glad to see that this is going to work out despite the circumstances.”
She raised her brows. “Let me know the moment you crave blood.” Her eyes
sparkled. “First drink from your male and then come to me. We will need to
monitor this pregnancy closely.”

The vampire woman spoke as if it was a given that she
was pregnant.
Holy shit
. Was this really happening?

“We will come straight away.” Lazarus turned back to
her. “Let’s go for a walk in the gardens. We can’t go back to my suite right
away.”

“I would really like to shower and change. Can we
pop back in and then go for a walk?”

Lazarus made a strange growling noise.

“He wants to rut you, human. Your scent will be
driving him a little crazy right now.” Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

“That is correct.” He squeezed her hand. His eyes
looked a little crazed and his skin looked taut. “I’m barely holding on. We
need to talk and I don’t want to hurt you. It would be best if we remained
outdoors and in public view. You might need to sleep in your own room tonight
as well. We are not mated, you couldn’t possible handle the things I…” He
cleared his throat, glancing at the vampire woman.

“That bad, huh?”

He nodded, looking like he was in pain.

“Okay, let’s go for a walk.”

He gave her a tight nod. They said their goodbyes to
Eleanor and walked in silence until they were outside and on the magnificent
lawns that surrounded the castle. Lazarus gripped her hand tightly in his.

“How are you feeling?” Lazarus asked.

She had to laugh. “Nervous, excited, scared, happy,
sad. A mixed bag of emotions. You?”

He looked down at her and smiled. “I’m happy and
excited about the prospects of you being pregnant. My only fear is that you are
not with child.” He stopped, turning to face her and took ahold of her other hand
as well. “If it were up to me, Alexandra, I would take you back to my suite and
do everything in my power to ensure that you do become pregnant.”

She pushed out a shuddery breath. “Okay, now you’re
scaring me. We’ve only known each other for a couple of days. This is just too
quick. Although I’m feeling things for you that I shouldn’t be feeling…not this
soon…this”—she gestured between the two of them—“might not last. Whirlwind
relationships rarely do.”

Lazarus grinned. “Vampires can very quickly decide
on a future mate. A few days…it’s a long time. Trust me, Alexandra, we know. I
know that you are the right female for me.” He looked so sincere. It made her
feel a bit better knowing that he was so sure. If she made herself stop
thinking for a second and listened to her heart and her growing feelings for
this vampire, she was sure that she would find that she was inclined to agree
with him.

Alex smiled up at him. “So we’ll know in a couple of
days then?”

Lazarus nodded. His pocket began to vibrate and his phone
began to ring. He released her hand and pulled the device from his pocket.
Without even looking at the screen, he gave her an apologetic glance. “I’m
sorry…I need to get this, it’s my king.”

“My lord,” he said, as he put the device to his ear.
Lazarus swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple working. He sucked in a deep breath as
he listened to the person on the other side. “That is correct.” He glanced at
her for a second before looking away. “It was a misunderstanding. Everything is
under control. Alexandra is my future mate.”

Future mate.

Oh hell.

Although he’d alluded to it, he’d never actually
said those words. Alex should be running in the opposite direction. She should
be screaming loudly. This was crazy…it was just too much. Instead, she stayed
right where she was, she even held Lazarus’ hand that much tighter. They would
get through this. Everything was going to be okay and what was meant to be
would be. Panicking and stressing were not going to help.

“I chose her yesterday. She is mine and would’ve been
mine regardless.” He paused, listening. “Yes. Thank you, my lord.” Lazarus
pulled a face. “I will keep you updated.”

There was talking on the other end.

“I realize that. It was in no way intentional. Like
I said earlier, it was a misunderstanding. We will use birth control going
forward…at least until we know for sure.”

Lazarus released her and ran a hand through his hair,
looking frustrated. “Okay. I understand.” He ended the call and huffed out a
breath. “Eleanor informed the kings. They’re having a small panic session,
which is to be expected. I had hoped to break this to Brant myself but hey…” He
shrugged. “What can you do? They are concerned that you did this intentionally
to ensure that you would secure a vampire. They are worried that you may have had
an ulterior motive. That you did this on purpose.”

She must have looked worried because he put his arm
around her. “I know that is not the case. They will figure that out for
themselves soon enough.”

She nodded, feeling a lump rise in her throat. Although
she hadn’t been totally honest with him, she had at least told him that she
wanted to do the story but it was a part of the plan. The kings knew it as
well. This whole pregnancy thing and her exclusive with the vampires were
totally unrelated. She did need to come clean…at some point though. There was
no way she and Lazarus could start a future together otherwise.

Alex yawned. Her lack of sleep and all of this
worrying was taking its toll on her.

“I’ll take you back to your room. You can shower and
rest up and I’ll go and have a chat with my kings. Try and see if I can calm
them down. So far, things have not worked out according to plan.” He chuckled.
“It’s pissing them off. Please do me a favor and don’t take anything to heart.
Brant means well but he can be a total dickhead at times. He might say
something and I don’t want it to upset you.” They began to walk in the
direction of the hotel.

“He would be well within his rights. I was supposed
to be on birth control and I wasn’t. I should’ve told you but I didn’t want to
get kicked out. I totally get that he’s upset.”

Lazarus shook his head and smiled. “My really good
friend York, one of the ten, ended up falling for a female that was outside of
The
Program
. The kings had a shit fit but they came around. York and his mate are
trying for a baby and Cassidy might even be pregnant already.”

“Really?” It was amazing how much better she felt
knowing that she wasn’t alone. Someone else was going through this too.

“If you both end up pregnant, you could be there as support
for one another.”

She nodded.

“Anyway, my point is that York defied the rules and
so did Gideon. And then there’s us...” He pulled his lower lip between his
teeth for a few beats. “Not everything and everyone fits neatly into a small
little box. Things don’t always go according to plan. In fact, sometimes things
go horribly wrong. Hidden beneath all of that wrongness is sometimes something
so right, so special. My kings will understand.” He kissed her forehead. “They
will have to.” They walked into the hotel lobby. It was eerily quiet now that
most of the women had left. Jenna was so thankful that Sarah had decided to
stay…at least for the time being.

Alex looked up at Lazarus. “I hope you’re right. I
really do. They wouldn’t try and keep us apart or try and force me to have an
abortion if I’m pregnant. Would they?” They stopped walking at the base of the
stairs.

Lazarus’ eyes turned dark. It was as if great big
storm clouds had descended. “Not a fuck! If you go, I go.”

She nodded. “I think as long as we stick together then
we’re going to be just fine.”

Lazarus smiled and kissed her. A soft brush of the
lips. “We’re going to be just fine, Alexandra. I can’t fucking wait to see you
ripe with my child.” Still hand in hand, they began to climb the stairs.

Alex put a hand to her belly. She needed to stop
doing that…at least until she was sure. “I might not be pregnant.”

“If not, then you will be and soon if I have
anything to say about it,” a low growl belying how serious he was about that.

It lifted her spirits to know that he would’ve
wanted this anyway. They made their way down the hall.

Wait.

What?

The door to her room was open. Lazarus stopped dead.
He cocked his head and his nostrils flared. “What the fuck…why are…?” He
growled and dropped her hand while moving towards her room in long strides.
Alex had to jog to keep up. She turned into her room just behind him.

“Look who decided to join the party.” Brant raised
his brows and folded his arms. “You, Miss Stone, have some serious explaining
to do.”

“You have no right to go through my things.” Alex
felt her blood run cold as she spotted her cell phone on the bed.

“I smelled a rat. I did some digging and it looks
like I was right on the money.” Brant’s eyes narrowed.

Shit!

Alex took a deep breath. She would tell the truth.
Hopefully Lazarus would understand…he had to. A weight lifted from her but at the
same time, a feeling of dread took residence.

****

What the fuck!

Brant had better have a serious fucking explanation
for all of this or Lazarus was going to do a damn sight more than just break
his nose. Gideon had let the male off easily for what he had pulled with Jenna.
This time, he would not be so lucky.

“I told you that it was a misunderstanding. Why
didn’t you listen to me? Get out!” He didn’t care that Brant was his king. The
male had no right to do this. No fucking right.

Allison’s eyes widened. The two males pouring
through Alexandra’s things stopped what they were doing and turned to look. No
one spoke to the king in that way and got away with it but he didn’t give a
fuck. Her clothes were strewn around the room. Drawers were upended. Her
toiletries were spread across the dresser. It was a fucking mess.

“Due to the stressful nature of this situation, I’m
going to let that slide.”

Lazarus pulled in a breath and opened his mouth to
talk but Brant put a hand up. “Shut the fuck up for just a second while I fill
you in on the details. Once I’m done, you would be most welcome to speak. I
urge you to think carefully before you do though.”

Lazarus pursed his lips, his hands curled into fists
at his sides. This had better be good.

“Like I was saying earlier…” Brant strode towards
the window and casually looked outside. “I smelled a rat. All of the females
received in-depth training. They were made to sign contracts and agreements.
One of the areas of training and clauses within the contract was that all
females would be on birth control for the duration of their stay. Condoms would
be used if the birth control was compromised in any way. I’m not going to get
into detail, but we were thorough. This should never have fucking happened.”
When he turned, his eyes were dark and his jaw twitched, belying his anger.

“Please let me explain.” Alexandra looked from Brant
to Allison and back to Brant again. She refused to meet his gaze. Fuck! It was
like his gut was twisting, like his veins were icing up.

“A misunderstanding…” Brant paused, his brows were
raised. “I think not. This was no misunderstanding. When Miss Stone arrived at
the gates, it was unexpected. One great big oversight. A fuck-up of note. My
instincts told me not to allow her in and I should’ve listened.” He turned to
Allison. “As is cursory, did you go through the check list with this female
before allowing her admission? Was one of those checks to make sure that she
was on birth control?”

Brant’s personal assistant nodded her head. She opened
the notebook and flipped through the pages until she found the one she was
looking for. “Yes, I did.”

“What was her answer?”

“She told me that she was taking birth control. I
remember clearly and as you can see, the box is ticked as well.” She turned the
book in Lazarus’ direction but he couldn’t seem to focus on the words.

“Good,” Brant growled. He folded his arms. “You asked
the female if she had attended the training?”

“I did, and she said that she had.” Allison’s calm,
professional demeanor was in tatters. Her lip quivered. She fidgeted. Her eyes
darted from Brant to Lazarus and back again. “I should have double-checked. I
can’t believe I didn’t double-check.”

Brant ignored her ranting. “Did you ask Miss Stone
if she had signed the contract and nondisclosure agreement?”

Allison nodded, she chewed on her bottom lip. “I did,
yes. Though, I’m afraid she lied, again. Why did you lie like that?” She
finally turned to face Alexandra who was white and trembling.

No
! This wasn’t
happening.

“Why did you lie?” Lazarus asked, surprised when his
voice came out sounding calm and even.

“I was going to tell you…” Her eyes were wide and
pleading.

Fuck!

Lazarus’ heart sank. The ice in his veins
solidified. In that moment he realized that he had still been holding onto
hope. Hope that this had all been some kind of a misunderstanding. That his
future mate…the female that was most likely pregnant with his child had not lied
to his king, his people, to him, but she had. What else had she lied about? Did
she even have feelings for him?

Lazarus roared, he turned and punched a hole right
through the wall. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying hard to calm himself
down. When he finally had enough of a handle on his emotions he turned around.
Alexandra was crying softly.

It cut him just as surely as a blade to his heart.
Lazarus swallowed hard and tamped down on his wayward emotions. To think that
even with all of this going on, his first reaction was to go and comfort her.

“I think I can fill in the blanks…you can correct me
if I am wrong, Miss Stone. You planned this all along. You intentionally didn’t
show up with the first batch of females for the training. It was your plan all
along to arrive, unannounced, acting the part of a mistreated candidate.”

“It’s not true,” she blurted. “That’s not true,
Lazarus…I promise you.” Softer this time.

Lazarus grit his teeth. How could they trust her? He
wanted so badly to believe her, but how could he?

“You hoped to slip in. Hoped that you would get away
with it. You were damned lucky. I just can’t understand how you hoped to get
away with it indefinitely. You do realize that the moment you switched your
cell phone on, we would have picked up the signal?”

Lazarus stared at the device on the bed.